Kenta Takamura is a character who is a member of Cobra and the main antagonist of the movie Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins. He is a cousin of Storm Shadow who, like his cousin Tomisaburo "Tommy" Arashikage, had a claim to clan leadership. He was banished from the Arashikage Clan by Tommy after Tommy uncovered Kenta's plot to murder him. He then went on to found his own organization as a yakuza, allied with the international terrorist organization Cobra.
Kenta is portrayed by Takehiro Hira.
History[]
When Snake Eyes is now a cage fighter in underground clashes, Kenta finds him. He tells Snake Eyes that he knows he sticks around long enough until everyone stops betting on him, then moves on to the next match. He also asks him to come to work for him, but Snake Eyes initially refuses, knowing that Kenta is in a shady line of work. He, however, agrees after Kenta promises info about the man who killed his father.
Weeks later, Snake Eyes is working at the docks of Los Angeles, placing weapons inside large fish to be smuggled to Japan. He is called out by Kenta, who wants him to prove his loyalty by killing a man named Tommy. He explains that Tommy once betrayed him and is also his cousin. Snake Eyes hesitates and Kenta tells him there are certain things he must do to get what he wants. However, Snake Eyes misses the shot on purpose and fights along with Tommy to escape. Tommy tries to kill Kenta but does not manage to do so. The group is eventually cornered in a truck, its windows repeatedly stabbed by swords. The LAPD eventually intervenes, and Snake Eyes passes out due to lack of blood.
After Snake Eyes has spent some time with the Arashikage, Kenta calls him so he can talk to him. That evening, Snake Eyes leaves the castle, using a motorcycle that Tommy agreed to let him ride. After traveling some distance, he visits Kenta. There, Kenta praises him for getting in with the Arashikage, mocking Tommy for his trust in Snake Eyes. He tells Snake Eyes that he wants the Jewel of the Sun. Snake Eyes tells him that he has been tasked to pass three tests and the third could be lethal. Kenta warns him to get the Jewel before that happens if he ever wants to get back at his father's killer.
Kenta is now in league with a group called Cobra, an international terrorist organization with loosely aligned cells throughout the world. He is working with a woman called Ana Decobray, or the Baroness, who killed a U.S. legislator as well as two-hundred civilians in a terrorist attack. Tommy decides they need more help to fight them and calls in Scarlett, a member of an international group of crime-fighters called the G.I. Joe.
Later, Snake Eyes meets up with Kenta and Baroness in a fortified underground bunker. Snake Eyes tells them that he did not sign up to be part of a terrorist organization like Cobra and that he wants out. Kenta and Baroness, however, show him a video of the man who killed his father being imprisoned by him. They warn him that if he does not secure the Jewel for them, they will simply release him. With no choice, Snake Eyes again returns to the castle.
When Snake Eyes gets the "Jewel of the Sun", he hands it over to Kenta, who demonstrates its power by using it to instantly kill a man, incinerating him with fire. He then points to the shack containing the killer of Snake Eye's father, before departing with the Baroness.
Kenta sets the Arashikage Temple ablaze using the Jewel of the Sun
At the castle, Kenta storms the place, killing many of the ninjas using the Jewel and setting things on fire. He corners Sen but is unable to kill her because she keeps dodging. He eventually forces her inside the common area. There, he declares his supremacy over the clan. When, however, Baroness asks him to surrender the Jewel to her, he refuses. In response, the Baroness forms an alliance with Scarlett, declaring that they have a common enemy.
Snake Eyes, Tommy and Akiko finally arrive back at the temple. There, they pursue Kenta along with Sen. They eventually corner him and manage to deprive him of the Jewel. Tommy claims the jewel and faces off against him, but Sen warns him not to use the Jewel. However, when Kenta tries to flee, Tommy explodes in anger and tries to kill him, blowing up a wall instead. Kenta flees into the forest and is pursued by Snake Eyes. There, Snake Eyes remembers what he was told: to release his arrogance in order to strike with honor. He manages to throw Kenta into the anaconda pit. There, Kenta manages to kill one of the anacondas, but is swiftly killed by the other two.
Personality[]
Much like Snake Eyes, Kenta is full of vengeance, wanting to kill his cousin Tommy right from the start in order to lead the Arashikage Clan. He does not act in good faith, even wanting to kill his own grandmother when he had the chance, and placing people's lives in danger. He manipulates Snake Eyes by holding over him the promise of giving him the man who killed his father. Though he does make good on this promise, he nevertheless shows a duplicitous nature by choosing to betray the Baroness.